'right' answers to online personality tests?

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I mean, how to game the damn things and have some reasonable chance of getting the job.

For example, there's this question:

"Most people have stolen something from work at some time."

Strongly agree
Moderately agree
Neutral
Moderately disagree
Strongly disagree

I think this question is based on the naïve psychology that if you believe most other people cheat on their taxes, then you will be more likely to cheat on your own taxes. And therefore, the only correct answer is "Strongly disagree." That's my view.

But I'd be very interested in what you think about such tests, and how to handle them.

I think such tests as part of a job application are horse manure really, there is nothing that this will tell an employer that has any use.

That said: don't game them, simply answer how you truly think. they will find out anyway.
You can drop the severity of your answers a bit (going from "strongly agree" to "mildly agree"), but gaming them will only get you fired later

How would someone's answer on one of these things get someone fired after one is hired?

You usually get fired after you've lied about something on your application.

How are they going to find out that you lied about what you thought about something? That sounds like something right out of "1984."

To the question you mentioned, I would say "mildly agree."

The questions, to me, are all bullcrap, anyway.

It drives me mad the way that employers have bought into all this pseudo-psychology over the last few decades. It used to be that just being good at your job, and performing your responsibilities in a timely fashion was good enough. Now it's all about whether you can fake enthusiasm for a "corporate culture" defined in ambiguous, vacuous terminology.

The Myers-Briggs type tests haven't been in common use by psychologists and sociologists for years now, because they are unreliable, unrepeatable, and the results have very little predictive power. Yet for some reason, "business gurus" seem to have infected the world of employment with this pointless mumbo-jumbo. It's one of the reasons that I think employment is harder to access now for autistic people than it used to be when I first entered the job market 30 years ago.

Three different times, in 2009, 2010, and 2012, I have found retail jobs by responding to these tests with my rose-colored, goody-two-shoes approach.

The first two jobs were Christmas season jobs starting in September, and it was a little disappointing they didn't turn into something more.

The 2012 job I still have. It's a retail job. Not my dream job by any stretch, but it gets me out meeting people. I've kind of become a low-key, informal leader with my co-workers. Being in my 50s probably helps in that regard!

I always put "moderately disagree" on that question, which I think conveys "I think most people won't steal, but a few will". These personality tests are so asinine, though. Even MCDONALDS has one now!

For questions like that I answer neutral or moderately disagree. I always feel like they're trying to set you up. So I never answer Strongly for majority of the questions unless of course it's for something that's positive and I feel strongly about it.

Those things are about as usefull as horoscopes...

No actually Horoscopes might have a use!

They are feel good rubbish so answer them honestly - if they place THAT might stock in one answer you might have got wrong...Then lets be honest did you want to work there anyway?

As a graduate of business, I can tell you that these tests do have a purpose, but not all companies use them the way they are meant to be used.

The way they are supposed to be used are to break down your personality into a set of 4 letters that describe you generally. They can then use this information to place you into a group of either like-minded individuals or separate you into a more diverse group.

But again, like I said, not many companies use it properly, so it just becomes a waste of time.

I think these tests are a way for employers to screen out those of us on the autism spectrum, and come up with some other excuse not to hire us. That said, I think for most of the questions, either "moderately agree" or "moderately disagree" is the "correct" answer, so that's what I tend to do.

I think those tests are made to annoy people and then at the end of it the person would literally be like "ok screw this" and pretty much forget about it. They generally put you between a rock and hard place because while you can't "lie" on it because if they find out you'll get fired at the same time you kinda have to if you wanna get the job. For example one question on this type of test will say like "do you think people are generally good in nature?" or something like that. If there was an option that pointed to the strongest negative way to answer it. Now that would be my honest opinion being the fact that my general opinion of humanity is not very positive but then they'd probably think I was same as the ones that shoot up schools or something because I don't like people very much.

I always read that "strongly agree/ disagree" were the only right answers on those tests. I did that a couple months ago when applying for a temporary job at a store that's closing its location in my town. (it closes at the end of this month) Of course, I never got an interview, even though I talked to the hiring manager, gave him my name, and told him to expect my application soon.

May those pop psychology monstrosities masquerading as viable metrics burn in the same fiery pit as diamond engagement rings, credit reporting agencies, and the US electoral college.

One tip you may find helpful:

Most of these tests are measuring a variety of "qualities" with a series of soft repetitions built in as a "validity scale" designed to catch out people who are trying to provide the "right" answers.
Generally but not always, these tests will have a bit in the instructions like, "Answer the questions as honestly as possible. Do not give the answer you think the [reviewer/scorer] wants you to give. There are no right answers except what is the most right for you."

This is clearly crap to you and I, but as these tests are now pretty standard for even minimum wage positions, the best advice I can give is from one former therapist [who was the person who told me I test as "dishonest" after giving me the MMPI] - when you have to take these, aim for consistency.

Which is to say, if there are five questions that mention "stealing" you ought to answer consistently that each incidence of stealing is wrong. This becomes a little trickier at times because some tests will make the control questions relevant to more than one of the areas being assessed.

The way I have been able to most successfully implement this is by reducing my ethical system to that of a toddler.
Good is what would get me punished if someone saw.
Bad is what would not.
(And especially don't ever tell those tests that things are okay when they specifically say, "I think it's okay to xyzabc IF I KNOW NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW." But I'm sure you knew that.)

**I wrote up the above and then thought of this: my husband just had to do one of these [and a timed one, at that - twenty seconds per question in a web browser, no backsies] and he was flipping out because he couldn't do the questions in the time provided. He was able to contact CS for the test administrator and have the time limit removed (it took two e-mails though! The first time the said it was removed it hadn't been...).

Just a heads up if anyone gets in that situation and doesn't mind telling the testing authority...

I strongly agree that these silly Myers-Briggs personality tests should be ruled unconstitutional to be used in hiring, as they are a means to discriminate against aspies and people who don't have great social skills. I've taken these tests and have not scored well in most cases, effectively banning me from applying to work at places like Wal-Mart and Target. Sorry, I do not have what people call "common sense" when it comes to taking these tests. It doesn't make me any less capable on a job. In fact, it may mean I'm a little more honest, not that that seems to count anymore since we're now required to lie and cheat just to get a job interview, thanks to these personality tests.

Thank God Canadian employers (whether or not it's Quebec-specific I know not) don't seem to use personality tests that much outside of specific industries: I only needed to take such online personality tests twice (out of ~40 applications), and both were in financial industries. One was to become a financial advisor and the other for some commercial banking back-office job. By now I want nothing to do with financial industries.

I stayed away from retail (or other menial jobs my parents want me to try getting, while knowing that, if your last job is unrelated to your new one, it may not help) because I knew my profile would make me overqualified for such jobs.

I just took one of these tests for the first time when applying to work at Target. It had me choose between two unrelated options, e.g. picking either "I feel energized after socializing with people" (yeah right) or "I often miss small details" (I'm GREAT with small details). I answered as honestly as I could, but I didn't get the job. It probably didn't help that after the test, I put "Disagree" for "I have a favorable opinion of Target after taking the test."